SlipAngle Podcast, now Powered by MotoIQ!

The SlipAngle podcast has been the premier track day, amateur wheel to wheel racing and performance sport compact podcast since 2015. After 241 Episodes (seriously, check out the back catalog HERE), we’re finally teaming up with MotoIQ to bring the fun to the masses.

SlipAngle started very organically. Austin Cabot and Adam Jabaay found themselves at the same events, staying up late drinking beer and having conversations about cars, track days, and life in general. Fast forward to the 2nd Gridlife Midwest Festival in 2015 and with help from YouTube personality Matt Farah, the idea of starting a podcast was born. Cheap mics were purchased, recording software was downloaded, beer may or may not have been consumed, and conversations kept happening with the same feel they always did at the track.

In recent years and the the team has expanded to include Abrin Schumucker and Derek Yarborough. The team spans 3 times zones, multiple different climates, and varied views on transponder placement, but one thing they all have in common is their passion for track days, motorsport, and vehicle modification and performance.

To kick off the transition of SlipAngle into the MotoIQ family, we sat down with Mike Kojima at Streets of Willow after #GRIDLIFE’s recent Streets Special TrackBattle. Be looking for Mike and other members of the MotoIQ team to be on many upcoming episodes of SlipAngle powered by MotoIQ.

Austin Cabot is in track day recovery at the moment. From 4 cars down to zero now, he’s trying to rediscover himself without the use of modified cars. His passion hasn’t let him stray far though. Previously working for Continental Tire and Garrett Turbo, he’s now a full time event director for Southern California’s Speed Ventures track day organization and announcer for GridLife. He could potentially relapse to his old track day habit at any moment. As an avid motorcyclist, he can be found crossing the country for weeks at a time on two wheels or in his newly acquired and most favoritest vehicle ever – his 2011 Mercedes RV with 180k miles on it. What could go wrong?

Adam Jabaay has Produced track events since 2004. Besides being the GridLife co-founder and Motorsports director, he’s raced SCCA ITA and STL, along with a stint on the STAC SCCA rules committee (and GridLife committees the last 5 years). Being a father and husband along with event organizer has resulted in drastically too little seat time in racecars the last few years, so “don’t trust anything he says”, according to him.

Abrin Schmucker started driving on track with one goal in mind, to race in the Tire Rack One Lap of America. After 2 years of prep, he competed in the 2016 OLOA and the #GRIDLIFE TrackBattle Championship. Following a successful season, he was out of money and talent. He then looked for other opportunities in motorsports outside the driver’s seat. Now the #GRIDLIFE Competition Director, Abe spends his free time working alongside Adam Jabaay to craft a ruleset that enables drivers to build and compete in the cars that inspire them. His efforts are marginally successful at best.

Derek Yarbrough is a former life long amatuer motocross racer turned road racer as of recent years. He’s the resident SlipAngle Texan and he doesn’t let anyone forget it. Derek has gone through the hpde, time trial, instructor, and now wheel to wheel comp school ladder over the past few years. Besides his day job as a speech therapist and keeping his “smokin” wife happy, Derek helps out instructing for GridLife and is on the rules committee for the newly formed Gridlife Touring Cup wheel to wheel series.

Mike Kojima has been working hard at turning money into noise throughout his 33-year engineering career. He has always had a passion for things mechanical from an early age. As a small child, Mike was adept at taking expensive things apart and not always being able to put them back together. As an adult, the things are now more expensive. Mike’s automotive and motorsports engineering career exploits have been wide and varied with stints as an engineer at Toyota Racing Development (TRD), Nissan North America, Falken Tire and Nismo North America as well as Pep Boys. Mike currently works as the Editor in Chief of MotoIQ and is an engineering consultant for race teams, as well as parts and OEM manufactures. Mike has held NASA, SCCA, and IMSA racing licenses and has participated in just about every form of racing from BMX to Go Karts poorly.

I really love the podcast title! Although, I was initial hoping this would be another one of Mike’s fantastic suspension tech articles. I love getting into tire analysis. You’ve definitely peaked my interest though and I’ll have to listen to the episodes. Is there any chance Mike might do a “Tire Talk”?